Perennial Hibiscus

I was just talking to Dr. Jerry Parsons and he mentioned that if we have perennial hibiscus plants, we should trim them back to the ground right now thereby forcing them to bloom vigorously again in September. I think I’ll give it a shot. I have one called “Hot Pink” which has about 4” hot-pink blooms most of the summer season.

Cantaloupe

Last spring I asked him about the cantaloupe called “pecos” and if he knew where I might find the seeds. He told me that that particular one is actually named “Perlita,” was developed by Texas A&M, and that its common name was “pecos” because it had done so well in the Pecos area of the state. I finally found some perlite seeds and planted them. They’ve been pretty prolific and, I swear, if you stand still long enough, you can watch the vines grow—about 11-12” per day. They ripened up starting about 2 weeks ago and are really producing a good crop…sweet and juicy.

He also mentioned that another one developed at Texas A&M called “TAM Uvalde” is a close cousin to the Perlita but is a smaller melon and just a little bit sweeter. The TAM Uvalde can be used as either a spring or fall cantaloupe. I think I’m going to try to find some seeds for that one for a fall planting. If you know of or have seen any of those seeds, let me know, please.

Pruning

If your live oak trees need some pruning, this is a good time to do it; not the best time necessarily, but a safe time to do it. The trees are in a semi-dormant stage right now; i.e., not growing much, and the little beetle that spreads the disease is not active right now…it’s just too hot.

BUT, be sure to paint every cut you make, no matter how small it is. It doesn’t have to be that black, nasty-looking wound sealer, however. Latex paint seems to work better and, if you’re so inclined, tint the paint with a little brown coloring and the paint will match the bark of the tree pretty well; almost invisible tomorrow.

Pumpkins

Just in case you’re thinking about planting some pumpkins to use for Hallowe’en, this is the time to do that. Jerry Parsons says that the one called “Jack Be Little” is probably the best one for this area. It’s a small pumpkin that will do the job just fine. On the other hand, the first pumpkins will be delivered to the stores and church pumpkin-patches about the first of September so you may just want to forego the frustration of trying to grow your own. Pumpkins are a bit of a pain in the old posterior to grow here because of diseases and bugs here.

Brown Spots in the St. Augustine Grass

If you see dead areas in the St. Augustine, it could be grub worms and/or chinch bugs. To check for grubs, dig a hole a foot square and about 2-3 inches deep. If you find more than 3 grubs in the soil, apply an approved insecticide.

Chinch bugs like the hottest part of the yard; beside driveway and sidewalks. Cut the top and bottom out of a small coffee can. Push it down into the soil about an inch and then fill it with water. If little bugs(1/8 – 1/4”) float up in a couple of minutes, they’re usually chinch bugs. Apply an approved insecticide. BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS ON THE LABEL. MORE IS NOT BETTER.

Summer Cleanup

It’s getting to be that time when our gardening efforts start to look a little worn out. Stuff starts to die back due to either the heat, lack of water or fertilizer, or just because the plants have done their thing and it’s time to die. Whatever. It’s starting to look a little ratty and needs to be taken care of now.

Most of the plants that we consider annuals and planted in the spring have finished their flowering and fruiting for the year and, basically, their life cycle is just about over. They may still offer a small flower or fruit periodically, but basically, they’re done

Perennials, on the other hand, are still very much alive even though they may have stopped flowering. Sometimes you can “deadhead” (remove spent flowers) perennials and they’ll bloom again.